BCL rally in city leads to traffic chaos
Thousands of commuters suffered immensely yesterday, thanks to a rally organised by pro-Awami League student body Chhatra League at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital causing huge traffic gridlock.
The road from Matsya Bhaban to Katabon intersection connecting two major thoroughfares -- Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue and Mirpur Road -- was closed for around two and a half hours from 3:30pm, which forced thousands of vehicles to make detours to reach their destinations.
Vehicles were not allowed to ply the road to ensure security of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was the chief guest of the rally, a police official said.
Besides, the flow of traffic carrying rally participants to the venue and frenzied parking of the vehicles around the premises worsened the situation after noon though there was a countrywide eight-hour hartal till 2:00pm yesterday.
Chhatra League organised the rally on the occasion of the National Mourning Day, August 15, to commemorate Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Bangamata Fazilatunnesa Mujib.
Thousands of activists from in and outside the capital joined the rally, the second such programme in a row. Dhaka city Awami League organised a gathering on the same occasion at the same venue, creating traffic chaos on Saturday.
Businessmen and office-goers, who regularly use the route, bore the brunt of the situation.
Shafiqul Islam, a lawyer at Dhaka judge court, spent more than three hours on his way to Farmgate whereas his regular journey from the court in the old part of the city takes around 45 minutes.
"We do not oppose political gatherings but we don't want such programmes to be held at the cost of people's daily lives," he said.
Whenever any political party holds any programme, the authorities close down roads, ignoring the sufferings of commuters, said Altab Hossain, a street vendor at Shahbagh intersection.
"Even if they [the authorities] don't close the roads, huge gathering of people and vehicles create traffic congestion. I have been witnessing this trend since I started my business here seven to eight years back," he said.
A Daily Star correspondent saw an Ansar member and a police constable barring vehicles at Katabon intersection from moving further.
They were not even letting people in cars or other vehicles go back home at Paribagh or Shahbagh.
"We have nothing to do. It's Awami League's hartal [what he meant was programme]," said the Ansar member.
The traffic situation worsened further in the evening when the PM left the venue after addressing the rally.
Hundreds of people were seen waiting at Shahbagh and Farmgate, two major points of the city, for public transport. As soon as a bus approached, they were jostling each other to get on the vehicle.
Women passengers faced extreme difficulties at the time.
"What to say...who will hear...will it make any difference," a woman screeched at Sonargaon intersection and then fell silent.
People blamed hiring of buses by rally-goers as one of the reasons for the scarcity of vehicles.
ATM Masud, a private service holder from Badda, regularly travels by buses of Winner Paribahan from Russel Square to his residence.
Finding no vehicles at Russel Square, he walked to Farmgate to get a bus.
"It's been around an hour I am waiting [at Farmgate] for a bus that goes to Gulshan... I have to take another transport from Gulshan to Badda, and I don't know what the situation is in Gulshan.”
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